Informal Credit Markets Boost Capital Accumulation, Lowering Costs for Firms
Credit markets with uneven information often use credit rationing to maximize profits. Informal credit markets can help reduce the cost of credit rationing by separating high-risk and low-risk firms. However, even with this improvement, capital accumulation is still lower compared to incentive-based market rates. Incentive mechanisms allow banks to diversify risk by identifying each firm's risk level, leading to higher capital accumulation in the long run. Self-revelation of firms' types through incentives significantly improves welfare, as seen in consumption equivalence.